Senator Bayh may have considerable competition in 2010

EVANSVILLE, IN - Former Indiana Representative John Hostettler announced his candidacy for the US Senate on December 3, to run against Indiana's junior Senator and former Governor, Evan Bayh.

Hostettler served in the US House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007. Having never ran for public office before, he started a true grass-roots campaign and defeated a 12 year incumbent in 2004, while refusing to accept any special interest money from the Polical Action Committee (PAC), a move he continued to embrace in every campaign that followed. During his tenture he served on various subcommittees in the US House, and in 2002 was one of only six republicans that voted against the resolution which allowed the invasion of Iraq. His vote record in the US House clearly indicates someone with Reagan-like conservative values. This continues to be reflected in posts on his website, and in his recently published book "Nothing for the Nation".

Senator Bayh was last re-elected in 2004 with a 62% majority of the public vote. Bayh is a well known and respected person among hoosiers, which will make for a tough task for Hostettler. However, given Senator Bayh's recent support of health care legislation he had previously vowed not to vote for, and the likely impacts of this legislation, it is likely that Hostettler will be able to gain some ground against Bayh in the coming months. This is particularly true given the fact that Obama narrowly won Indiana with just 50% of the vote, and Bayh has recently embraced many of Obama's policies despite the fact that polls indicate a rapidly falling job approval rating for the President.

Given the failed policies of the current Administration and the support of these policies by Senate Democrats, including Bayh, conservative republicans will likely be able to gain considerable ground across the country in the 2010 elections in both houses of congress. Just how much ground conservatives gain will depend upon many factors, including the state of the economy and the unemployment rate, but these factors show little signs of improvement in the near future.

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MH5 years ago

Seriously? Hostettler got crushed in 06'. I am talking something like 60-39, and he was a 6 termer in a highly conservitive district. Plus Bayh never promised to vote against reform, never. Hostettler is known to be a horrible fundraiser, a bad campaigner, and most importently a horrible represenative who got NOTHING done in Washington his whole 12 years there.

In response to MH: An excerpt from an email Senator Bayh sent to me directly. "As the Senate begins to debate health care reform, I will be reviewing the bill and looking for solutions that demonstrate a commitment to reducing the federal deficit, job protection, and affordability for Hoosier families. I will continue to do my best to achieve solvent, practical solutions that provide high-quality, affordable health care to as many Americans as possible, while maintaining sound fiscal policy."

If his "best" was to vote along party lines rather than do what he said he'd do, I call that a problem.

As a small business owner for several years and a father of four, James Covington's political views have shifted in recent years toward a more conservative and Libertarian way of thinking. Goings on in Washington have played a significant role in pushing his views, particularly given the massive spending spree that the US Congress has committed, and the resulting state of the US economy. These factors, among others, led James to create stopthespending.us. More information about James can be found here. Contact James and follow him on Twitter.